Advance file photoRebekah Johnson is led to her trial at state Supreme Court in St. George.

Alleged Staten Island commune shooter Rebekah Johnson scored a partial victory today when a judge dismissed one of two attempted extortion charges against her at her criminal trial.

But the main charge - attempted murder, or first-degree assault, in the alternative - stands, and a jury will determine next week whether she shot a New Brighton commune leader two years ago. Summations and deliberations in the high-profile trial, which began July 25, are slated for Monday morning in state Supreme Court, St. George.

If found guilty of either attempted murder or assault, Ms. Johnson, 45, a former member of the Ganas commune, potentially faces up to 25 years behind bars. She also could receive an additional two and one-third to seven years if convicted of the remaining charge of attempted second-degree grand larceny, or extortion.

Ms. Johnson, who was kicked out of Ganas 12 years ago, is accused of pumping six bullets into the group's leader Jeffrey Gross, then 52, as he walked up the stairs to his Corson Avenue home around 11:50 p.m. on May 29, 2006. Gross, who suffered wounds in the leg, arm, abdomen and neck, survived the shooting and testified Ms. Johnson was the assailant.

A fugitive for more than a year afterward, she was captured in Philadelphia in June 2007. But not before she allegedly tried to extort $1 million from Ganas during separate phone calls in September and October of 2006.

Citing case law, Justice Robert J. Collini said an extortion threat can be conveyed by innuendo or expression and no precise words are needed.

In ruling from the bench, the judge said the evidence did not support an attempted extortion charge in the first instance, but did in the second, based on the testimony of Ganas member Julia Greve, who Ms. Johnson allegedly called during those instances.

In the first, Ms. Greve testified the defendant called and said to put $1 million in her bank account. She did not respond when Ms. Greve asked if she would leave Gross alone if Ganas complied.

In the second call, the defendant frantically demanded the money and gave the commune a week to fork it over, but did not make a specific threat. Ms. Greve, however, testified she believed Ms. Johnson had shot Gross and might take action if her demand wasn't met.